“I was so excited I didn’t know what to do. All I could say was ‘thank you,’” Escobar said over the phone from his home in Orange County. “It’s all kind of surreal. Just the feeling that I’m a Cowboy now, and that’s where I’ll be playing.

“It’s a big relief. Draft day has been suspenseful.”

Escobar took a calculated risk when he opted to forgo his senior season at San Diego State to declare himself draft eligible. Escobar was always considered a second or third round pick, but toward the end of the pre-draft evaluation period, his stock appeared to be on the rise.

As many analysts had predicted in the leadup to the draft, Escobar was the third tight end off the board.

Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert went to the Cincinnati Bengals as the 21st overall selection in the opening round of the draft on Thursday, and the Philadelphia Eagles picked up Stanford's Zach Ertz with the 35th overall pick in the second round on Friday.

But even Escobar never imagined that he’d get picked up so early on the second day – he was the 15th pick in the second round.

“I wasn’t expecting a phone call that soon. My agent told me between the second and fourth rounds,” Escobar said.

He was also surprised that it was the Cowboys who selected him. Dallas was not on the list of teams he’d worked out for privately.

Escobar finished his three-year career at SDSU with 122 catches, 1,646 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6, 254-pound tight end will go to a Cowboys organization that has an entrenched starter in seven-time Pro Bowl selection Jason Witten. The current Cowboys' backup tight end is Oklahoma-alum James Hanna, who was selected in the sixth round last year.

Hanna played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last year, and totalled 86 yards on eight receptions. The Cowboys also have second-year player Andre Smith and former South Dakota State tight end Colin Cochart on the roster.

Still, the Cowboys haven't committed a higher draft pick to a tight end since they selected David LaFleur in the first round, with the 22nd overall pick, in 1997.

They wouldn't have used the pick on Escobar if they hadn't intended for him to come in and compete right away. He's in a great position to learn from Witten while making the transition from college to the pros.